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La Renovación De Los Discursos Orientalistas En La Sociedad Americana Tras El 11 S

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La Renovación De Los Discursos Orientalistas En La Sociedad Americana Tras El 11 S CAEI Centro Argentino de Estudios Internacionales La renovación de los discursos orientalistas en la sociedad americana tras el 11 S. El debate por la instalación de Casa Córdoba en Nueva York por María Lourdes Flores Working paper # 26 1 Todos los derechos reservados. - Pág. 1 Programa África Subsahariana La renovación de los discursos orientalistas en la sociedad americana tras el 11 S. El debate por la instalación de Casa Córdoba en Nueva York por María Lourdes Flores “No fue el Islam lo que nos atacó el Once de Septiembre, fue Al Qaeda” Esta fue una de las últimas frases que dijo el presidente de los Estados Unidos; Barak Obama, en la conmemoración de la fecha que representa el más grande de los atentados que tuvo este país en las últimas décadas; Dicha conmemoración coincide con la práctica del Ramadán islámico y también con la celebración de año nuevo judío. Todas estas festividades cívico / religiosas coincidieron con campañas publicitarias, arengas virtuales en Internet, a favor y en contra de la instalación de la Mezquita en el Zona Cero. Este atentado ocurrido en el año 2001 desató la reivindicación de viejas, o mejor dicho de ciertas visiones orientalistas de lo que para los americanos es la cultura árabe, o de medio oriente, y específicamente una religión; “el Islam”. Asociaciones apresuradas, disfrazadas de experticia se construyen constantemente en torno a fenómenos tales como “la mente islámica”, “las raíces de la ira musulmana”, 1 como consecuencia de la destrucción de las Torres Gemelas. En este trabajo se analizaran tres discursos en contra de la instalación del Centro Cultural Islámico “Casa Córdoba” y dos discursos a favor de la misma, para terminar con un discurso de un intelectual palestino que intenta profundizar un poco más. No se pretende hacer aquí un análisis del discurso, porque excede el propósito del trabajo. Simplemente se intentará dar cuenta de las principales ideas que se construyen en torno al Islam y lo islámico a partir de un hecho puntual. Lo que en realidad evaden éstos orientalistas como Bernard Lewis o algunos más jóvenes como Fouad Ajami, es hablar de la responsabilidad internacional en relación a las estrategias geopolíticas imperialistas que podrían explicar más coherentemente la reacción violenta de un grupo específico de terroristas, no desvinculados de círculos de poder americanos, ya sea con las mafias de la venta de armas, o el manejo del petróleo. Esta nueva oleada de discursos orientalistas, se evidenciaron nuevamente ante un hecho particularmente reciente que fue el intento de construir una mezquita o centro cultural “La Casa Córdoba” a dos cuadras de lo que se denomina, la Zona Cero en la Ciudad de Nueva York. Dicha iniciativa suscitó una ola de manifestaciones contrarias a dicha iniciativa, lo que disparó una 1 Lewis Bernard “Las Raíces de la Ira Musulmana”. Letras Libres Noviembre 2001. 2 Todos los derechos reservados. - Pág. 2 seguidilla de discusiones, declaraciones y entredichos que mantuvieron a los televidentes norteamericanos al tanto de las opiniones por un lado, del poder oficial; desde el presidente del país Barak Obama, el intendente de la ciudad de Nueva York: Michael Bloomberg , el Imam de la Mezquita; Feisal Abdul Raufel, iniciador del proyecto; y también de las manifestaciones callejeras con carteles en contra de la instalación de la mezquita, las declaraciones judías a favor, por ejemplo: las de “The Shalom Center”, las reflexiones del nacionalista Charles Krauthammer quien pregona que la iniciativa es un “sacrilegio en el Ground Zero”, la manipulación que el cristianismo evangélico y sus líderes como “Terry Jones” quien , por ejemplo instó la campaña para conmemorar la Caída de las Torres Gemelas con la quema del Corán, y demás declaraciones de políticos vinculados al republicanismo como Sara Palin o Pamela Geber, quienes con sus argumentos levantan sospechas sobre una la posible vinculación de AL Qaeda como soporte financiero del proyecto. Éstos discursos y declaraciones oscilaron entre el rejuvenecido estereotipo orientalista de “Un único Islam”, que parecería “no ser americano”, por tanto extranjero y terrorista, y por otro lado el intento de elaborar un relato secular para diferenciar la religión de las organizaciones terroristas, y de no generalizar, quizás más propios del ala demócrata. Este otro esfuerzo se ancla en el pasado histórico americano, renovando votos hacia la libertad de culto, reconociendo la presencia islámica desde los orígenes de la nación y amparándose en los derechos constitucionales aplicables a todos los americanos independientemente de la religión que se profese. Siguiendo la lógica de Edward Said, parece haber una dicotomía que opone un discurso apasionado, nutrido por el resentimiento de la violencia y otro que intenta elevarse de manera crítica y secular para comprender los fenómenos y diferenciarlos para defender las libertades y las diferencias. De todas formas en ambos intentos, se deja de lado, la crítica profunda en materia de relaciones internacionales, aquella que debería advertir la desinformación, la ausencia absoluta de una mirada responsable que explique profundamente, los atentados del 11S. Ante ésta carencia, éstos atentados se han convertido en el caballo de batalla para reinstalar visiones añejas y generalizadoras sobre el Islam, porque suponen que la caída de las Torres se debe a una apasionada devoción islámica que induce al odio y la violencia, como si esto fuera una cuestión de fe, o como si en estos diez últimos años, los Estados Unidos hayan vivido en estado de cruzada 3 Todos los derechos reservados. - Pág. 3 religiosa con el mundo árabe. A mi modo de ver las razones religiosas contribuyen de manera dialéctica pero no determinante con el desenlace de los fenómenos. Edward Said sintetiza en su texto “Choque de Ignorancias”, ya que sintetiza lo que estoy tratando de expresar. “Una decisión unilateral de imponer fronteras, emprender cruzadas, enfrentar nuestro bien contra su maldad, extirpar el terrorismo y][acabar por completo con las naciones, no hace que sea más fácil ver las supuestas entidades, lo que hace es poner de manifiesto que es mucho más sencillo hacer declaraciones beligerantes para movilizar pasiones colectivas que reflexionar, examinar, desentrañar a que nos enfrentamos en realidad , la interrelación de tantas vidas, tanto “suyas” como “nuestras”. 2 Se tomará en este trabajo algunas de las definiciones que nos brinda Edward Said de “orientalismo” para afirmar que la respuesta ante la iniciativa Córdoba, por parte de la sociedad civil norteamericana tiene contenidos y tendencias que podríamos reconocer como neo-orientalista: “El orientalismo expresa y representa, desde un punto de vista cultural he incluso ideológico, esa parte como un modo de discurso que se apoya en unas instituciones, un vocabulario, unas enseñanzas, unas imágenes, unas doctrinas e incluso unas burocracias y estilos coloniales.” 3. Edward Said reconoce que la academia prefiere menos los discursos orientalistas ya que resultan vagos o recuerdan el autoritarismo despótico de la era victoriana, pero también recuerda que en los diferentes ámbitos de la circulación de las ideas, “… el orientalismo sigue presente en el mundo académico a través de sus doctrinas y tesis sobre Oriente y lo oriental.” 4 Para poder demostrar como el orientalismo sigue presente en los medios y en los discursos oficiales, académicos y no académicos, e incluso en las declaraciones de sentido común de cualquier vecino de la ciudad de Nueva York, tomaré un significado más general que también presenta Said en su libro; Orientalismo, “…Es un estilo de pensamiento que se basa en la distinción ontológica y epistemológica que se establece entre Oriente y – la mayor parte de las veces- Occidente.” 5 Said explica que esta diferencia ontológica se ha aceptado como punto de partida para todos los discursos, informes etc., relacionados con Oriente. Y gracias a esto “El orientalismo es un estilo occidental que pretende dominar, reestructura y tener autoridad sobre Oriente][el orientalismo como discurso es una disciplina tan sistemática a través de la cual la cultura europea ha sido capaz 2 Said, Eward, “El choque de Ignorancias ”. Encuentro Textual, tomado de “El País”, España, 16 de Octubre 2001 página, 146. 3 Said. Edward W. Orientalismo. Libertarias/Prodhufi,S.A, Madrid, 1990, Pág. 20. 4 Op cit. Pag 20. 5 Op cit pag. 21. 4 Todos los derechos reservados. - Pág. 4 de manipular - e incluso dirigir- Oriente desde un punto de vista político, sociológico, militar, ideológico, científico e imaginario a partir del periodo posterior a La Ilustración” 6 Hoy se enfatiza, sobre todo luego de la caída Las Torres Gemelas, esta necesidad imperante por controlar una región que al parecer, se les ha escapado de las manos. Medio Oriente, con su eterno conflicto árabe- israelí, se convierte en una zona caliente que merece ser controlada, dirigida, sobre todo porque parece ser que está generando un ejército de mentes terroristas ancladas en la fortaleza espiritual del Islam. Y el Orientalismo americano que se repite fundamenta esta decisión del imperio de intervenir. No ya desde sus decisiones oficiales, sino desde los sentidos comunes de su sociedad civil, que explícitamente rechaza un templo islámico en su tierra. Recordemos que luego de la segunda Guerra Mundial, “… América ha dominado Oriente y se relaciona con él del mismo modo en que Francia y Gran Bretaña, lo hicieron en otra época” 7 En primer lugar presentaremos aquí, el discurso de los propios musulmanes que se presentan en contra de la construcción de Casa Córdoba. Raheel Raza y Tarek Fatah sostienen en sus declaraciones que tal emprendimiento es una provocación. “Nueva York se jacta de contar actualmente con al menos 30 mezquitas, así que no es como si fuera una urgente necesidad encontrar un espacio para los fieles. El hecho es que nosotros, los musulmanes, sabemos que la idea detrás de la mezquita de Ground Zero, pretende ser una provocación deliberada a los infieles.
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